Chapter 436: The Heat Cooling Down

Hours had slipped by, and before anyone knew it, the night had settled deep around the bedroom. The heat and sweet chaos from earlier were long gone, leaving nothing but heavy silence and the steady sound of breathing in the dark.

Zarius hadn’t moved. He was still sprawled behind Cherion, his much larger body wrapped around him like Cherion had somehow become his personal pillow. His heavy arm rested firmly across Cherion’s waist, holding him snugly against his chest and leaving barely any space between them. Every now and then, almost without thinking, Zarius would lower his head and press a slow kiss to Cherion’s bare shoulder, his warm breath brushing against the flushed skin.

Cherion lay quietly in the dark, letting himself sink into the warmth of Zarius’s embrace. His lower back and thighs were still sore, reminding him exactly how they had spent the last several hours. Other than that, everything felt calm.

Then the realization hit Cherion so hard he nearly sat upright.

Oh, shit.

The book.

A sudden surge of sheer panic washed over Cherion. The High Priest had handed him that ancient, priceless, heavily guarded journal with such solemn grace, a sacred artifact containing the absolute truth of the OG Cherion’s lineage, power, and bloodline. And what had Cherion done with it?

Cherion let out a horrified, strangled gasp.

"What?" Zarius murmured against his shoulder, his voice thick and low with half-asleep warmth, his arm tightening around Cherion’s middle to pull him even closer.

"The book!" Cherion squeaked, his voice cracking comically.

Without waiting a second longer, Cherion scrambled to sit up. Zarius grunted in protest as the heavy warmth left his chest, his brow furrowing as he watched Cherion clumsily throw off the heavy sheets. Cherion practically threw himself across the mattress, his sore legs wobbling as he frantically searched the dark nightstand, his hands slapping around the wood like a man looking for a lifeline.

"Where is it... where did I... Oh God, please don’t be crushed..." Cherion babbled under his breath, his heart hammering in his throat.

His fingers finally brushed against the leather cover. It had slipped slightly onto the edge of a chair nearby, so close to the floor. Cherion snatched it up like a mother rescuing a newborn, clutching the thick volume tightly against his bare chest. He scrambled back onto the bed, holding the book up, frantically checking every corner, every piece of binding, and every yellowed page for damage.

"Thank god... thank god, it’s alive," Cherion wheezed out, letting out a massive breath of relief. He slumped back against the pillows, cradling the book with an absurd amount of dramatic care. "If the High Priest knew I used his sacred historical journal as a backdrop for... this, he would strike me down with holy lightning."

Zarius watched the whole dramatic sequence unfold with a slow, amused glint in his dark eyes. He let out a low huff, sitting up behind Cherion and shifting forward until his chest was pressed right back against Cherion’s spine. He reached out, his thick arms wrapping around Cherion’s waist once more, resting his heavy chin directly on Cherion’s shoulder to look down at the volume.

"You’ve made me curious about that book," Zarius rumbled, though his lips brushed the side of Cherion’s neck as he spoke. "What’s so special about those papers that has you this worried?"

"It is not just paper!" Cherion hissed, though he didn’t pull away from Zarius’s warmth, leaning back into the solid frame behind him. "The High Priest gave this to me after I finished praying in the temple. He spoke so quietly, so seriously... this book contains the OG Cherion’s power progression. My power. Wrote by his parents."

Cherion’s fingers carefully flipped open the cover. The pages were covered in fine, incredibly neat handwriting, filled with dates, diagrams, and meticulous notes.

Zarius fell quiet, his dark eyes scanning the top of the first page as Cherion slowly turned it.

"Your... Cherion Antel’s parents," Zarius corrected himself smoothly, his deep voice vibrating against Cherion’s back as he read a passage, "were remarkably thorough. They kept track of every single energy flare from the time he was a child. They wrote... everything."

"They really cared about him," Cherion whispered. "They trusted the High Priest immensely to entrust a record like this to him, knowing how dangerous it would be if the wrong people found out what kind of power ran in their blood."

Cherion flipped through the pages until he reached the final entries.

"When the High Priest gave this to me, he suggested something else," Cherion murmured, his tone dropping into something far more hesitant. "He told me that... Cherion’s family death anniversary is coming up soon. He suggested that while I’m at the Antel estate for the memorial, I could look around. He thinks... he believes Cherion’s parents might have left behind more than just this journal. More records, or perhaps an artifact or focus tool hidden at the estate that could help me know more about this power, side effects, consequences, things like that."

Cherion paused, leaning his head back against Zarius’s broad shoulder, staring up.

"I don’t know, Zarius," Cherion admitted quietly, his voice laced with uncertainty. "Going back to that estate... it feels strange. It’s not really my past, but it is my body’s past. And going there means confronting everything they left behind. I’m hesitant."

Zarius didn’t answer immediately. He leaned forward, taking the heavy journal from Cherion’s hands and setting it gently onto the nightstand, finally freeing Cherion’s arms. Then, he wrapped both arms around Cherion, pulling him completely back down onto the mattress, burying his face into the soft crook of Cherion’s neck.

"We go," Zarius said, his voice flat, firm, and entirely devoid of hesitation.

Cherion blinked, turning his head slightly to look at the Alpha. "Just like that? You think we should?"

"It’s about your power, Cherion," Zarius said, his gaze meeting Cherion’s, the seriousness in his eyes impossible to miss. "What if it has side effects we don’t know about? You’ve been using it here and there, from breaking curses to treating poison. What if all of that eventually starts harming you from the inside?"

Zarius tightened his grip around Cherion’s waist.

"And I am the one driving you to use it," Zarius added softly, his tone heavy with a quiet, bitter responsibility. "You gave me your healing power day and night to help my men during our subjugation missions. I’m the reason you started using your power in the first place. And then you kept using it more and more."

Zarius leaned in, pressing his lips hard against Cherion’s forehead, holding the kiss there for a long, heavy moment before looking back down at him.

"I won’t force you," Zarius said softly. "But I need you to understand my worry."

Cherion looked up at him, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips as he watched the absolute sincerity carved into the Alpha’s sharp features. There was good reason for both him and the High Priest to be worried about this healing power.

"Alright," Cherion murmured, reaching up to gently trace the line of Zarius’s jaw. "I guess we’re heading south."